COLUMBIA - Former Republican vice-presidential nominee Sarah Palin lobbed sarcasm at her adversaries and showered praise on Rep. Nikki Haley, drawing on their identity as underdogs and as women.

"I knew I was in the right place when somebody handed me the T-shirt, the Team Haley T-shirt, with the quote, 'If you want somethin' said, ask a man. If you want somethin' done, ask a woman.' ... I love it," Palin told the crowd gathered at the Capitol steps Friday evening.

She noted that the state's former first lady, Jenny Sanford, had campaigned with Haley earlier, but that her own husband Todd could not attend the rally because he was in Arizona.

Palin said he is, "wishing his very best to Nikki, knowing what she's probably going through, kind of being the underdog, being the fighter, being the winner that she is ... . We went through the same thing."

Addressing the faint calls of protesters, Palin gave her signature rebuke.

"Bless your heart, protesters. Keep doin' what you're doin', because we have people like Mike and like my son in uniform protecting your right to protest," she said, referring to Haley's husband.

"Stick around. Maybe you'll, maybe you'll learn something," said the former Alaska governor, during a brief speech that made numerous swipes at the Obama administration.

Haley, a state House member, trails in funding behind the other three Republicans running in the June 8 primary. The other Republicans are U.S. Rep. Gresham Barrett, Lt. Gov. Andre Bauer and S.C. Attorney General Henry McMaster. Haley is the only female candidate running for governor.

Before Palin spoke, Haley called for on-the-record voting for state legislators, term limits, the need to eliminate income taxes for small businesses and individuals, and reminded the crowd that she did the family business accounting at age 13.

She also pointed to her heritage as an Indian-American, her role as a sister, daughter, mother, and wife, and how her parents raised her.

"They didn't want me to know the limitations of age. They didn't want me to know the limitations of gender. And they didn't want me to know the limitations of being Indian," she said.

Several hundred attended the event, including a handful of female supporters in their twenties who said they were state government employees. The women took issue with protesters' signs that said,

"Spill, baby, spill," in reference to the oil spill in the Gulf. They said they still believed drilling for oil is the correct policy.

"Do you want to drive your car?" said one of the women. "I say, still drill." Earlier in the day, other Republican gubernatorial campaigns reacted to Haley's support from the international celebrity.

BJ Boling, spokesman for Barrett's gubernatorial bid, said Palin's endorsement of Haley was "a real gut-punch to the McMaster campaign," noting that McMaster led the McCain-Palin 2008 presidential campaign effort in South Carolina.

Boling said Barrett remained focused on his job-creation plan.

"That's what he's made the cornerstone of his campaign, not endorsements," said Boling.

Rob Godfrey, spokesman for McMaster, however, said the endorsement hurt Barrett.

"It's obviously a positive development for Nikki Haley," said Godfrey, "but it's also another significant setback for Congressman Barrett, one of the lesser known candidates who has struggled to earn statewide name recognition ... ".

On Friday evening, McMaster tweeted, "The most meaningful endorsement I could ever receive is from you," and included a link to his website where supporters could add their name.